Pisanello: Painter to the Renaissance Court (National Gallery of London) Book

Pisanello (c.1394-1453) was one of the greatest, but now sadly neglected artists of 15th-century Italy. Luke Syson and Dillian Gordon's lavish book Pisanello: Painter to the Renaissance Court triumphantly re-establishes Pisanello as one of the key figures of the early Italian Renaissance. Published to coincide with a comprehensive exhibition at London's National Gallery, Pisanello explores all of the artist's greatest paintings and drawings, while also examining his portrait medals and "the extraordinarily naturalistic observation" of his exquisite drawings of animals, birds and figures, all of which are beautifully reproduced in their hundreds. Pisanello was "the favourite artist at some of the most sophisticated and self-conscious courts in Italy. He is chiefly documented in the service of the Gonzaga in Mantua and the Este in Ferrara. He also worked for Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, for two popes, and at the end of his life as a salaried court artist for Alfonso V of Aragon, king of Naples". The result, as Syson and Gordon point out, is an incredibly rich and varied collection of art objects in various media, from the extraordinary political power and chivalric celebration of the Arthurian frescoes in Mantua to the mysterious, enigmatic panel paintings like The Vision of Saint Eustace. All are carefully analysed and put in the perspective of the politics, patronage, Classical learning, and workshop traditions that Pisanello manipulated so well. The result is a vivid and satisfying portrait of "one of the most sought-after painters of his generation", that will become the definitive study of this extraordinary artist. --Jerry BrottonRead More